Energy suppliers may pay households to put washing machines on at night to prevent blackouts

Energy suppliers may offer to pay households and businesses to stop using electricity temporarily when needed, if they agree to do so in advance to try and help prevent blackouts.

Households who sign-up would potentially be in line for about £10 a day.

Drumming up support for the voluntary scheme, which will launch in November, Jake Rigg, director of corporate affairs at National Grid, said it was a chance to “save money and back Britain”.

“If you put your washing machine or other electrical appliances on at night instead of the peak in the early evening, you can get some money back when we all need it,” he added.

The move could be one plan to try and prevent blackouts this winter for up to three hours a day this winter if it is unable to import enough energy.

National Grid says households and businesses could be cut off for around three hours a day if Britain cannot buy enough gas and electricity from abroad due to global shortages.

It may have to resort to “load-shedding”, a practice common in South Africa, where power is restricted to different areas at different times according to a rota, to try and prevent uncontrolled outages.

National Grid, which balances electricity supplies in Britain, describes that scenario as “unlikely” and its base case expectation for winter is that there will be enough electricity to meet demand.

However, it explores the “extreme” possibility as part of its preparations for a winter with Britain in limited control over its energy supplies, and amid international turmoil in the market triggered by cuts in Russian gas supplies to Europe.

A move to load-shedding would have to be approved by the King on the advice of the Privy Council, under procedures dating back decades.

Coal-fired power plants due to close in September have also been kept online to produce electricity if needed.

Liz Truss, the prime minister, travelled to Prague on Thursday where she discussed energy supplies with counterparts at the European Political Community summit in Prague.

Britain has so far not followed the EU’s example in targeting a 15pc reduction in gas use to try and cope with the crisis. Official statistics show gas demand in the UK nonetheless fell 10pc and electricity demand fell 5.6pc between April and June compared to the previous quarter, likely due to warmer weather and higher prices.

Typically over the year, Britain gets most of its gas from the UK side of the North Sea and Norway, supplemented by shipments of liquified natural gas from around the world and imports through pipelines from Europe. It also has a growing web of cables trading electricity with the continent.

However, Russia has drastically cut the amount of gas it exports to Europe as it weaponises supplies. This has triggered intense global competition for the fuel, which is central to both electricity generation and heating.

The situation has been worsened by outages within France’s nuclear fleet, as well as low hydropower reserves in Norway. The result has been high prices of both gas and electricity, which has wreaked economic havoc.

The UK Government has stepped in with support for businesses and households, which is set to cost the state £60bn over the next six months alone. Wholesale prices are set to remain high this winter.

Winter is a challenge for energy markets due to higher demand for lighting and heating, as well as the prospect of still periods meaning lower wind output.

In its annual winter outlook for electricity supplies, National Grid warns of a “challenging winter for energy supply throughout Europe”. Its electricity system operator says its “base case” is that Britain will have enough electricity to meet demand including buffer supplies.

However, this assumes that Britain can import from the Continent when it needs to. It has also modelled scenarios in which it cannot import enough electricity from Europe, and in which it cannot buy enough electricity nor gas.

In the first scenario, National Grid would call on the coal-fired power plants that are on standby, as well as on consumers who have agreed to turn down usage when needed. Some households may face cuts if the latter does not deliver enough of a decline in demand.

In the second scenario of insufficient supplies of both electricity and gas, National Grid has looked at what would happen if 10 gas-fired power plants were unable to operate as a result.

“Should this scenario happen it may be necessary to initiate the planned, controlled and temporary rota load-shedding scheme,” it says.

“In the unlikely event that we were in this situation, it would mean that some customers would be without power for pre-defined periods during a day – generally this is assumed to be for three-hour blocks.”

Exactly how power cuts are distributed would be down to Britain’s eight electricity distribution companies, although vital buildings such as hospitals would be protected.

Fintan Slye, executive director of National Grid’s electricity system operator, said he was “cautiously confident” there would be adequate supplies this winter.

But he added: “As an expert and responsible operator of Great Britain’s electricity system it is incumbent on us to also factor in external factors and risks beyond our control like the unprecedented turmoil and volatility in energy markets in Europe and beyond.”

A Government spokesman said: “The UK has a secure and diverse energy system. We are confident in our plans to protect households and businesses in the full range of scenarios this winter, in light of Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.

“To strengthen this position further, we have put plans in place to secure supply and National Grid, working alongside energy suppliers and Ofgem, will launch a voluntary service to reward users who reduce demand at peak times.”

Separately, one of the country's largest electricity suppliers is offering households £20 a month to cut their energy usage during peak hours in a trial scheme unrelated to the Grid's announcement. Ovo Energy will pay customers if they are able to cut their energy usage by a third between 4-7pm, when demand on the grid is highest.

Raman Bhatia, chief executive of Ovo's household energy supply business, said: “The UK energy sector is at a crucial point, and we need a resilient grid to get us through this winter."